Friday nights might not be too hot when it comes to network television, but it might be because viewers are heading to cable instead.

Syfy's fall one-two Friday punch of "Stargate: Universe" and "Sanctuary" earned season renewals late Sunday, confirming what many observers had predicted would happen all along thanks to strong ratings from both shows. In fact, both SGU and "Sanctuary" even beat out network programming more than once, including the Joss Whedon series "Dollhouse" on Fox, which has since been cancelled.

Syfy president Dave Howe is scheduled to talk to reporters, including those from Airlock Alpha, Monday, and a special announcement had been teased ahead of time. It's unclear if that special announcement was the renewal of these two programs, or if Howe had something else he was looking forward to sharing with the media.

The renewal for "Universe" came swift -- only half of the first season has aired so far, with the back-10 not scheduled to premiere until April -- but production on the first season has been complete for weeks, and writers were looking for an official go-ahead on Season 2. "Sanctuary" is still airing episodes, and the one-time Web series will now see a third season of 20 episodes.

The two shows have combined to average 2.4 million viewers on Friday night, according to The Hollywood Reporter, with "Universe" getting the larger of the two audiences. That's good news for "Universe," as some members of its existing franchise fan base that have followed Stargate series for some 15 seasons, have not been exactly ecstatic over the new show.

However, coming after the conclusion of Syfy's critically acclaimed series "Battlestar Galactica," some have described SGU as creating a middle ground between the two shows, since the Stargate franchise was considered to be more "fun" and less dark. "Universe," which centers on a bunch of humans stranded on an Ancient-built ship galaxies from home, features a full ensemble cast instead of a small group of main characters, and has had a far-reaching story arc as opposed to standalone episodes combined with mythology as "Stargate SG-1" and "Stargate: Atlantis" have done.

"We're dealing with 15 seasons of expectations with a certain fanbase," Stargate executive producer Robert Cooper told the trade publication. "Hopefully, as the show goes on, people will appreciate 'Universe' for being its own thing."

There already are changes coming to the first season of "Universe" when the second half premieres. There will be less trips back to Earth, and more stories based on the Destiny itself, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Also, as speculated by some observers, there will be "full-bodied" aliens making their debut on the show. The damage to the Destiny when it was found, as well as the alien ship found in the first mid-season finale, has hinted to the existence of a full-time bad guy.

"There is a big story point coming up that does introduce an alien race," Cooper said. "It's more along the line of a 'District 9'-type alien. Our interaction is handled in a very 'Universe' way: They're not the typical Stargate alien bad guys."

"Stargate: Universe" airs Fridays at 9 p.m. ET on Syfy, with "Sanctuary" -- starring Amanda Tapping and Robin Dunne -- airing Fridays at 10 p.m. ET on Syfy.